CONTRACT BRIDGE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 145, 21 June 1935, Page 6

CONTRACT BRIDGE.

ALTERNATIVE LINES OF PLAY. (By ELY CULBERTSON.) Naturally, in the playing of close game or slam hands a good declarer desires to give himself as much chance of making the hand as possible. In other words, a doubtful finesse should not be taken if there is some alternative line of play which has better than an even chance of winning. Similarly, a suit should not be played for a 3-3 break unless it is the'only hope on the hand, as the odds are against such a division. Generally speaking, the declarer should almost invariably take the line of play which will enable him to fulfil his contract against most of the possible distributions which seem likely. A review of the bidding and of the early play will give the declarer some inkling as to how the opposing cards are divided, and this knowledge, no matter how meagre, should form a foundation upon which the declarer can build up the play of the hand. This week's hand was played in a recent rubber game at Crockford's Club in New York City, I purposely am not giving the East and West hands, a 6l I wish to discuss the hand from the angle of the declarer alone.

North and South eventually reached the contract of six Clubs with South as the declarer. West, who was vulnerable, overcalled South's opening Club call with the semi-pre-emptive bid of two Spades. East made no bid. West's opening lead was the Heart deuce, which marked West with cither a singleton or four cards in the suit. Declarer won this Heart lead with the Kimj in diimmy, and now stopped to consider the hand. There Were several possible lines of play open to him. To get further information he played one top trump, and when both East and West followed, the last trump was drawn; 'this time West showed out. The Ace of Hearts was now played, West followed suit, and declarer's last Heart was ruffed in dummy.

■ The declarer, of course, now had additional information to go by. West's opening lead was more or lesa definitely confirmed as having been made on a four-card suit. For his vulnerable two-Spade bid the West player, lacking the Ace and Queen of the suit, should have six Spades, which, with four Hearts and one Club, would leave him with a double ton Diamond. If this were absolutely certain, South could now very easily fulfil his contract by simply playing out his Ace and King of Diamonds and then playing the Ace and a small Spade, throwing- West in with the marked King and compelling him to give the declarer a valuable ruff and discard. West, with nothing but Spades and Hearts in his hand at this point, would be forced to lead a card of one of those suits, which would be trumped in dummy and permit the discard of South's losing Diamond. However, this line of play would lose if West held originally only five Spades and three Diamonds* as West would now be able to cash the setting Diamond trick. A second line of play also suggested itself. If West held three Diamonds, including one or both of the missing honours, the contract could be fulfilled by not touching the Diamond suit at all, but immediately playing the Ace a low Spade, thus throwing the West hand in and forcing a Dianiond lead, which would enable the declarer to take three tricks in the suit with the proper giless. , * South, however, decided upon neither of these two methods, but upon ft third line of play which would enable him to fulfil the contract against both of the distributions mentioned above and several others besides. After the third Heart was ruffed in dummy, he played the King of Diamonds and then followed With a low Diamond, on which, when East played low, he finessed the nine-spot. This line of play must enable South to make six-odd (assuming that West holds the Spade King, which has been assumed throughout this discussion) against any distribution of the Diamond suit except four to the Queen-Knave in the West hand, which; of course, is impossible from the bidding and the earlier play. When East plays a low Diamond on the second round of the suit, if South's nine is won by either the blank Queen or the blank Knave in the West hand, West will now be forced to either lead away from the Spade King tip to South's Queen or load a Heart; giving ,a ruff and. discard. If West held originally three Diamonds, he can return the suit without sacrificing a trick, but with this distribution dummy's thirteenth Diamond will be good for a Spade discard..

If West held originally two little Diamonds, South's nine will hold the trick, and the contract will automatically be made. Naturally, if East, on the low Diamond lead froirt dummy, plays any Diamond honour, South wins with the Ace , , and after his nine forces the remaininn- outstanding honour, the ten in dummy will be good for a, discard. ■ This line of play, which South finally decided upon, is practically foolproof and eliminates all guesswork. The declarer has no worries about 3-3- divisions, doubleton honours or double finesses and is not forced to make any close decisions of any sort. His line of play is predicated purely "and simply on the assumption that West must hold the Spade King, which is practically certain from the biddiiig, and upon the assumption that West really cannot have four Diamonds. However, evert if West holds four Diamonds, the line of play selected will still win tile hand unless West holds both honours. Thus an approximate count, together with a very soundly worked out plan of play, turns a doubtful slam into one that is practically a certainty.